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That's pretty hilly for a commute. Heck, that's just pretty steep climb generally speaking. I'm not sure I'd want to ride that hill every day. Any way to detour around it? A few extra miles may be worth it. Anything above 10% is a big effort for most riders. When I plot my rides I try to avoid anything above 10%. I stalled on a longish hill with grades over 15% and walked, and that was on my road bike.
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What are you carrying back from work? On that hill, the less weight the better.
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Stick with it and the hill will get easier -- or you will get faster and it will be just as hard! Like others said, your best option is to reduce weight -- on your bike, tires, the gear you carry, and yourself. My commute route is very hilly. Although there are no hills as long or as steep as yours, my route is about 15 miles each way with repeated climbs and downhills. In the morning, most of the final 3.5 miles is uphill and it used to really blow my average speed. However, at some point this spring, all of the sudden my average speeds jumped about 1 mph, mainly due to faster climbing.
Does your bike have lightweight folding tires? That can make a huge difference in climbing. Also, keeping the amount of gear you carry at a minimum in something like a Carradice bag can really help. If you are not bike commuting every day, carry extra gear such as clothes, towels, food to work on the days you drive so you will have less to carry on cycling days. |
Originally Posted by Metol
(Post 14349253)
I was thinking about this. My only reservation is that this bike doubles as my fast long-ride bike so I wanted to keep it as light as possible. Perhaps it's time for getting a real road bike.
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I had the same issue. The first mile or so of my commute is hell... the rest is comparatively flat. The alternative route is to get on a state highway for about 2 miles which my wife did not like. I did the hill a few times and now I do the state road. I told my wife I could get hit by a car or die on the hill... either way.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=255805 |
Can someone explain the graph in the initial post to me? It looks like a 4 mile commute roughly - what is the starting elevation?
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Get your heart checked, and if it's OK, push harder.
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That is very nastily hilly ! Wonder how messed up it would be to even walk the bike up that hill !!! But being a regular commuter I can totally imagine how mentally demotivating it could get to get up that hill day in and day out.
I will say one thing .. The OP asks if he is just weak for averaging 10 mph on good and 6 mph on bad days -- No way ! Just being able to ride the bike on hill like this is an achievement. 6mph is not bad at all. It is a very decent speed. And besides, being a regular commuter, I would say this - DO NOT fall into the "how fast am I going" trap. It will lead to burn out pretty soon. It is commute. There are good days, bad days, and then it could be raining on bad days and stuff like that. On a hill like that, I would even consider walking your bike for very steep sections if you don't feel like it every once in a while. It will still be better than driving ! |
That's a pretty badass commute.
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Originally Posted by Metol
(Post 14349200)
Thanks for the encouragement, jsdavis. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I'v been insisting on not resting or getting off the bike. I guess I should take it more easily. Right now I can only dream about having a conversation when riding my hill:twitchy:
Also, dont be afraid to cheat if you cant make it all the way - stand on your bike. Aside from extra power from your weight, it will also give your legs a bit of a reset by focusing on different muscles. I did that when I first started hitting hills, until over time I needed to stand up less and less, and now I can do it without standing at all. That being said, your hill is much more of a pain than mine was; how long is the climb? And is it just bursts or one long steady heavy climb? (sorry your graph is a little hard to read) |
Originally Posted by billyymc
(Post 14350160)
Can someone explain the graph in the initial post to me? It looks like a 4 mile commute roughly - what is the starting elevation?
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I live in the Alps which is about as hilly as it gets. My commute is 43 miles round trip with a little over 3000 ft of climbing. Like the OP, I'm 43 yrs old and ride a Trek FX (although mine is a 7.7, and it shares commuting duties with my surly crosscheck and cannondale touring bikes). I swapped the rear cassette on the FX to an 11-34 and the RD to a Deore XT, which made a big difference on the days when I'm tired. The hill climbing gets easier, but it takes time. Keep at it.
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Originally Posted by megalowmatt
(Post 14351561)
By extrapolating, I am guessing the starting elevation is ~1900 feet and the ending looks to be just under 2400. The op says the grade reaches 18% at one point. I am not sure I would want that commute home but the ride in would sure be fun. :)
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Originally Posted by Metol
(Post 14349060)
I'm a newbie in the forum and also a noob bike commuter. I started to bike commute last year with a newly acquired Trek 7.5 Fx but because this is a snowy area and I also don't have to go to my office everyday, I only bike commute twice a week on average between late spring and early fall. From my house to work, it's all downhill, about 3.5 miles on roads with fantastic pavement. I wish it was longer:)
My problem is the way back home. I can't take the same route for various reasons (traffic, one-way streets, steep hills, lack of shoulders). Depending on the route I take, it's between 4 and 5 miles. Regardless of the route, I have to deal with long climbs. On top of that, pavement is bad in all routes, which greatly irritates me when I'm crawling up hills inch by inch. Here's how my Strava ride report looks like for one of the return routes. The steepest section is like 18% grade, and about half of the route is in the 5-12% range. On a good day, I can average 10mph coming home; 6mph on bad days especially when wine or beer is involved after work like this evening. http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=255768 My legs are slowly getting stronger but in many sections the gear is dropped to the lowest (26 front 26 rear) and I'm basically completely spent by the time I finally reach my house. I'm beginning to doubt my ability to continue bike commuting.:( Do I simply live in an area with bike-unfriendly topography? Or are my legs/lungs simply too wimpy and they will get stronger over time? I'd like to hear how those of you who have hilly commuting are coping with the challenge. By the way, I'm 43 and overweight. |
18% is a serious climb even if it's only for a hundred feet. I'm impressed.
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Originally Posted by Metol
(Post 14349060)
My legs are slowly getting stronger but in many sections the gear is dropped to the lowest (26 front 26 rear) and I'm basically completely spent by the time I finally reach my house. I'm beginning to doubt my ability to continue bike commuting.
In short, keep at it. You'll get there! |
Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
(Post 14350539)
That's a pretty badass commute.
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Originally Posted by Metol
(Post 14349060)
Or are my legs/lungs simply too wimpy and they will get stronger over time? I'd like to hear how those of you who have hilly commuting are coping with the challenge. By the way, I'm 43 and overweight.
I don't have a hilly commute but my folks lived at the top of a 1/2 mile measured 18% grade. I don't think I could ride a bike up a grade that steep, so you're already an official bad*ss for being able to accomplish it. *brofist* |
SlimRider,
3 pounds a week? That's a calorie deficit of 1,500 per day! Easier said than done, and I keep reading that it's not good to exceed a 1,000 calorie per day deficit (your body can go into starvation mode). Lately I've been losing at about 1 pound per week. I could do 2, but 3 is pretty ambitious. |
From my house to work, it's all downhill, about 3.5 miles on roads with fantastic pavement because you will not be getting in trouble with the job, arriving on time. on the bike going home there is no time-clock to punch .. take the long way.. |
Just to clarify, the 18% incline lasts only about two blocks in one of the routes. I've mostly given up on this route because the steep sections are beyond my ability on most days and more importantly the route coincides with heavy car traffic.
I had to dress more properly at work today and there was a forecast for thunderstorms so I drove in. But on my way home I looked for an alternative route...I might have found one! The pavement still sucks in many places but the climb can be broken up into smaller chunks by traversing between hilly streets using flatter streets that run perpendicular to the hill's fall line. I can't wait to try this route on bike:) MattFoley, I'm in Spokane and my commute involves South Hill. |
Htfu!!! :d
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Electric pedal assist bike could be an option for the OP, why completely knock oneself out just to get to work? Turn up the power on the badass hills, and down or completely off on the moderate to lighter ones. Cycling to work should be somewhat enjoyable, and not a training prep for the Ironman.
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Originally Posted by Metol
(Post 14354370)
Just to clarify, the 18% incline lasts only about two blocks in one of the routes. I've mostly given up on this route because the steep sections are beyond my ability on most days and more importantly the route coincides with heavy car traffic.
I had to dress more properly at work today and there was a forecast for thunderstorms so I drove in. But on my way home I looked for an alternative route...I might have found one! The pavement still sucks in many places but the climb can be broken up into smaller chunks by traversing between hilly streets using flatter streets that run perpendicular to the hill's fall line. I can't wait to try this route on bike:) MattFoley, I'm in Spokane and my commute involves South Hill. |
Borrow someone's fixie for a couple of weeks. After doing your commute on that, switching back to your geared bike will feel like a dream!
jk |
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